Casket sealing structure



June 14, 1960 5. P. VAN HORN 2,940,155

CASKET SEALING'VSTRUCTURE Filed NOV. 25, 1957 Y 1 BY 0 1'7 5. 3 g ATTORN United Smtes Patent Ofice 2,940,155 Patented June 14, 1960 CASKET SEALING STRUCTURE Grover P. Van Horn, 205 Main, Parkville, Mo.

Filed Nov. 25, 1957, Ser. No. 698,443

1 Claim. (Cl. 27-17) This invention relates to casket structure and more particularly, to the provision of novel gasket means for caskets of the type having a sectional lid closing the open top thereof and which assures hermetic sealing of the casket upon closing of the sections of the lid.

7 It is the most important object of this invention to provide casket structure of the type having a plurality of independently movable sections normally closing the open top of the main body of the casket and which has novel, preformed gaskets around the peripheral edges thereof which hermetically seal the casket upon closing of the lid.

' Another important object of this invention is to provide casket structure which includes a pair of independently movable primary sections having adjacent, abutting edges wherein the edges are disposed at an angle so that one of the edges overlies the edge of the other primary section, to the end that a gasket disposed on one of the edges is wedged tightly between the sections to assure a hermetic seal of the joint between the edges upon closing of the primary sections.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide casket structure of the half-couch type which thereby includes a plurality of independently movable primary and secondary sections closing the open top thereof, and wherein there is provided gasket means around the entire periphery of the secondary sections, one of the primary sections and partially around another of the primary sections in a manner so that, upon closing of the sections, hermetic sealing of the casket is assured.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more fully apparent from the description of the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of casket structure embodying the hermetic sealing means of the present invention, a part of one of the sections of the lid of the casket being broken away to reveal details of the gasket utilized on such section;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical, crosssectional view taken on the line IIII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary vertical, crosssectional view taken on the line 11-11 of Fig. 2, certain positions of the movable sections of the lid being shown in phantom; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, plan view of the present casket structure and illustrating certain of the sections of the lid thereof in an open position.

tr e casket broadly designated by the numeral in the drawing is preferably of the half-couch type and therefore, includes an elongated, hollow, main body 12 having an upper, peripheral, rectangular ledge 14 defining the open top of main body 12. A sectional lid broadly numerated 16 is mounted on main body 12 of casket 10 in overlying, covering relationship to the opening defined by peripheral ledge 14, and it can there fore be seen that lid 16 includes a pair of primary sections 18 and 20 as well as a pair of elongated secondary sections 22 and 24.

Primary sections 18 and 20 are substantially rectangular and are adapted to close substantially the entire area of the opening defined by ledge 14. The inner, complementally beveled edges 26 and 28 of primary sections 18 and 20 respectively are disposed in proximal abutting relationship when sections 18 and 20 are disposed in a closed position and, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, edges 26 and 28 of sections 18 and 20 extend transversely across main body 12 and are disposed at an agle to a horizontal plane through ledge 14 in a manner so that edge 26 normally overlies edge 28 when sections 18 and 20 are closed.

Sections 18 and 20 are swingably mounted on segment 30 of ledge 14 for swinging movement on a common horizontal axis, while secondary section 22 is hingedly mounted on segment 32 of ledge 14 and secondary section 24 is swingably mounted on segment 34 thereof. Secondary section 22 extends substantially across the entire transverse width of body 12 and is provided. with oppositely beveled ends 36 and 38, while secondary section 24 extends along and is substantially equal in length to primary section 18. Secondary section 24 is also oppositely beveled at ends 40 and 42 thereof in a manner as shown in Fig. 4. The portion 44 of primary section 18 which is adapted to engage secondary section 22 is beveled in a manner to complementally engage and receive end 36 of secondary section 22 and also includes a beveled area 46 adapted to fit complementally against similarly beveled surface 48 of primary section 20. Primary section 29 is additionally provided with a beveled surface 56 adapted to complementally receive beveled end 40 of secondary section 24.

The outer peripheral margin 52 of primary section 18 is adapted to engage the normally upper face 54 of secondary section 22, while the peripheral margin 56 of primary section 18 is similarly engageable with the normally upper face 58 of secondary section 24. It can be seen that the lower peripheral face 60 of primary section 20 is adapted to rest directly upon ledge 14 of main body 12.

In order to provide for hermetic sealing of casket 10 when all of the sections of lid 16 are moved into their closed positions, a preformed gasket 62 is provided around the entire periphery of secondary section 22, a similar pre-formed gasket 64 around the entire periphery of secondary section 24, another resilient gasket 66 around the perimeter of primary section 20, and a suitable gasket 68 partially around primary section 18.

As clearly shown in the drawing, gasket 62 extends across upper face 54 of secondary section 22, downwardly across beveled ends 36 and 38 thereof and thence across bottom face 70, which is adapted to rest upon segment 32 of ledge 14 of main body 12. Gasket 64 is disposed on secondary section 24 in a similar manner and therefore, extends across upper face 58 thereof, downwardly across ends 40 and 42 of secondary section 24 and then across lower face 72, which normally abuts segment 34 of ledge 14 when secondary section 24 is swung to a closed position, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

Gasket 66 extends along the lower face 60 of primary section 20 in a manner to engage ledge 14 of main body 12 and includes portions which extend upwardly along beveled surfaces 48 and 50, it being noted that gasket 66 includes a stretch 74 integral therewith and which ex-- tends in an arcuate manner across angular edge 28 of primary section 20 to hermetically seal the joint between edges 26 and 28. Gasket 68 on primary section 18 extends entirely along the lower face 76 of section 18 and then upwardly over portion 44 and area 46 of the same where gasket 68 terminates.

It is now apparent that by virtue of the disposition of gaskets 62, 64, 66 and its on sections 22, 24, 20 and 1s respectively, 'casket is hermetically sealed when the sectionsof lid 16 are moved into their closed positions andentrance of air or moisture into the interior of casket 10 "is, absolutely precluded; Various'clamping devices may be provided on the individual sections of lid 16 to assure a tight fit of the sections against each other, and it can be appreciated that because of'the beveled, interengageablesurfaces on the various sections of-lid 16,"the proper compression of the gaskets between the sections} is assured. Of importance is the fact that because of'the angular disposition of edges 26 and 28 of primary sections 18'and20, compression of stretch 74 of gasket 66 between edges 26 and 28 is eifected upon closing of sections 18 and and also, section 18 operates to clamp or otherwise hold section 20 in tight engage with ledge'14 of main body 12. V

- ,Thepreferred form of the present invention has been illustrated and describedbut it is obvious that various modifications and changes in the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and it is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claim.

Y Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

In a casket, an elongated, hollow, main body having an upper, peripheral, polygonal ledge defining an open ing; a sectional'lid disposed on said body and including a pair of substantially rectangular, primary sections swingably mounted on one segment of said ledge and a pair of elongated, secondary sections swingably mounted on other adjacent segments of the ledge in" a position when disposed in a closed position, said pair of primary sections having proximal, inner edges normally disposed in abutting relationship and: extending substantially transversely across the body, said edges being positioned at an angle to a horizontal plane through said ledge whereby one of the edges overlies the other edge, adjacent ends of the secondary sections normally being disposed in abutting relationship, they ends .of said secondary sections and the secondary sectionv simulating segment of said section adjacent the primary sections being oppositely beveled and the portions of said primary sections abutting respectiye ends of the secondary sections and said secondary section simulating segment'bein'g complemen- 5 tally beveled to receive said ends of the later to thereby present angular joints between adjacent ends of the secondary sections and the opposite ends of the secondary sections and said portions of the primary sections; and preformed gaskets extending entirely around each of the secondary sections, the other'of said primary sections and only around the margins of said one primary section complementally engageable'with respective margins of the next adjacent sections and said ledge of the body, said gaskets extending around those parts of said other primary section and the secondary sections that engage the next adjacent sections and said ledge of the body for hermetically sealing the casket upon closing of said sections, the gasket on said other primary section including a stretch integral therewith and extending across said edge of the other primary section and engageable where the same are engageable with adjacent margins sections being independently swingable with respect to the v body and capable of completely covering said opening with the edge of said one primary section for eflfectively sealing the joint therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS 

